Posted May 26, 200817 yr With the weather bright and sunny on a Memorial Day weekend, plus an electrically powered rail transit system and walkable neighborhoods available, who gives a rat's tail if gas prices are $4 per gallon?!?! So my friend BuckeyeB of Columbus and I strapped on our walking shoes, put on our shades and got RTA Day Passes for $4 per. We walked from my condo to get a hearty breakfast at the Shore Restaurant in Lakewood, then walked to the Red Line's Highland Square Station at West 117th and Madison for a day-long adventure.... PART ONE -- THE RED LINE PART TWO -- THE BLUE/GREEN (SHAKER) LINES PART THREE -- THE WATERFRONT LINE Highland Square Station: The neighborhood: Yeah, I know it's a big jump to the Stokes Station at Windermere at the east end of the Red Line in East Cleveland (and not showing about 11 miles of the Red Line, including downtown). Instead, I took my pictures coming back: We arrive that Euclid-East 120th Station that will be relocated to Mayfield Road in a couple of years: Euclid Corridor construction, and gas prices shown in the background that are already causing faster ridership growth on transit: The Euclid-East 120th station in the background, and the site of a townhouse development in the foreground. It still will be very accessible to Euclid Corridor and is a short walk to the Mayfield station at Little Italy: Street scenes in the residential section at the north end of Little Italy: Mayfield Road, RTA's Red Line is in the background, along the future station site: More Euclid Corridor construction at Mayfield: Mayfield street scenes in Little Italy: Street scenes along Murray Hill Road, in the southern residential section of Little Italy. We're walking parallel to the Red Line, heading toward the University Circle station: We arrive at the University Circle station, above Cedar Road: The scrolling LED sign is reporting a news blurb, but its wording "lighter, faster and more fuel efficient than the vehicle it will replace" is pretty ironic considering where we are! We took the heavy-rail Red Line westward to this station, East 55th, to catch a light-rail train (Blue/Green Lines) eastbound toward Shaker Square and Shaker Heights: The Shaker lines will be covered in the second section..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 26, 200817 yr Cool stuff. But KJP, you totally missed the Thomas the Tank Engine train on the Cuyahoga National Valley Scenic RR this weekend!! We paid a nice $60 bucks for a 25 minute train ride for the 3 of us (luckily the 3-month old didn't count). We should've rode the rapid for a total of $4. Boy do we need some better TOD developments with these gas prices.
May 26, 200817 yr Sorry 3231, I'm not into Thomas the Tank Engine. If I ever get married and have children, I might change my mind. But I really enjoyed myself yesterday, despite the sunburn... Florida Guy, wait until you see the next segments of my rail tour! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 27, 200817 yr The Windermere station is awesome, never knew there was a coffee shop in it. You need to get out to the "E-ta-da-C" more often.
May 27, 200817 yr You need to get out to the "E-ta-da-C" more often. Wow.. I'm surprised you haven't been smacked for talking like that before..
May 27, 200817 yr Highland Square, huh? I haven't used that one since it was plain, ratty-ass old W. 117th & Madison: Sorry 3231, I'm not into Thomas the Tank Engine. If I ever get married and have children, I might change my mind ... My grand-nephew a year ago, when he was pushing three years old: He's a long-time fan of Thomas on TV. Last year we took him to Hesston where he saw and rode real steam trains. Later, when his mom and dad took him to a Thomas event at Whitewater Valley Railroad, he was not impressed. His reaction? "Fake!"
May 28, 200817 yr Not bad! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 28, 200817 yr ^Are you that clueless? "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 29, 200817 yr You did go to UD so I doubted your humour. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 29, 200817 yr You need to get out to the "E-ta-da-C" more often. Wow.. I'm surprised you haven't been smacked for talking like that before.. Hater, Jr.!
May 29, 200817 yr Yes, because UD alumni have long been known for their lack of humor?? I gotta agree with Colday on this one....Father Guido Sarducci sucks. Nice pics KJP. I used to pick up the red line at the E. 120th station. Now I pick it up 270 blocks to the west. Have you heard any news on when the W. 150th station is slated for rehab?
May 29, 200817 yr Yes, it has an approved redevelopment plan. I'm pretty sure you can google it and find the rendering. Search under "Puritas" station though. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 29, 200817 yr Thanks I just checked it out- it looks very nice. Did you notice the train in the first pic resembles the Calgary C-train. I hope the rolling stock on the red line doesn't change to something like that.
May 29, 200817 yr ^Someone else pointed that out in one of the RTA threads; that design firm should have to return some of its fees for showing a LRV vehicle there- had no-one on the team actually ridden the rapid before?
May 29, 200817 yr You should see the Puritas rendering that shows the view from the tracks -- the trains look like Shaker Bredas and the rails about 10 inches wide. All kidding aside, I like the design for the new Puritas station. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 29, 200817 yr Yes, because UD alumni have long been known for their lack of humor?? I gotta agree with Colday on this one....Father Guido Sarducci sucks. You're both idiots.
May 29, 200817 yr Yes, because UD alumni have long been known for their lack of humor?? I gotta agree with Colday on this one....Father Guido Sarducci sucks. You're both idiots. Says the man who went to UD. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 29, 200817 yr Yes, because UD alumni have long been known for their lack of humor?? I gotta agree with Colday on this one....Father Guido Sarducci sucks. whoa, whoa, whoawhoa. don't be dragging 'ol don novello aka father guido sarducci aka my fellow lorain senior hs alumni, into your interwebs snit! :x
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